Coaches Cliff McCrath and Doris
Heritage
have more than 60 combined years of coaching at Seattle Pacific. Their
successes
have been defined by their own talents and drive, coupled with a knack for
adjusting
to generational changes in athletes.

In college athletics, coaches are most often remembered for two
things: success
and longevity. Not surprisingly, both of these attributes are hard
to come by.
It's a rare individual who assembles winning teams year after year,
and an
even rarer one who resists every temptation to leave the job when
another offer
comes along.

Consider, too, the constant changes that coaches face. Teams move to new
conferences
or divisions; rules are adjusted; technologies evolve; cultures and
communication
styles shift. Furthermore, team membership turns completely over once every
four years.

Seattle Pacific University, however, is one place where a coach with
long-term
success is not unusual. Doris Heritage (cross-country) and Cliff McCrath
(soccer)
have both entered their fourth decade of coaching at SPU. Laurel Tindall
(gymnastics)
isn't far behind, and Ken Foreman retired in 2000 after 37 years as track
and field
coach. During their tenure, all of these coaches have produced successful
teams
and trained highly competitive athletes. Along the way, they've learned a
few things
about coping with change.

"I'm always in the process of upgrading my coaching methods and philosophy,"
says
Heritage. "When I started, I was a high-level athlete. I was used to running
with
the team during workouts, and I could coach by having a feel for what they
were
doing, because I was doing it too. I'm almost 60 now, so I can't do that
anymore."

These days, when she turns her team loose for a practice run, "I find a
place where
I might see them pass by a few times, where I can encourage them and praise
them,
and if they have any questions, they know where to find me."

She uses videotape to help runners improve their technique, but warns that
technology
can have its drawbacks: "Running is a lifestyle, one that doesn't lend
itself to
sitting in front of computers and television. I spend a lot more time
on
conditioning and preventing injuries, because athletes coming into the sport
need
that toughness and resilience that children had when they were more active
physically."

Toughness comes naturally to soccer coach Cliff McCrath, who grew up on the
mean
streets of Detroit. "I developed an inner drive to survive where people
around me
were not surviving," he explains. "That's what translated into my
accomplishments
as a coach."

In his first few seasons at SPU, McCrath didn't find it hard to
impart that drive
to his players: "If I told those teams to go through a brick wall,
no question —
the wall was in trouble." He quickly led the Falcons to four
national championships.

By the end of the 1980s, however, cultural shifts had forced McCrath to
change his
tactics. "That was the MTV generation," he says. "They were used to having
information
in sound bites; I could no longer hold their attention on just the strength
of my
personality. They were also more analytical; they'd ask why they had
to go
through a brick wall. With those kids, I had to find a halfway point between
command
and explanation." He succeeded, to the tune of another championship in 1993.

But this year, when SPU missed the playoffs, McCrath knew it was time for
another
adjustment. "My mistake has been believing the athletes would figure out
their own
motivations because they're so smart," he says. "Next year we're going to
let
the demands of daily training supply the motivation. That's the secret to
this
generation: demand something of them they've never experienced before, and
believe
that down deep they really do want to pay the price."

While SPU coaches train young athletes, they're also preparing the next
generation
of coaches. Three former Falcons recently assumed head coaching duties:
Bobby Bruch
(women's soccer), Kellie Radloff (volleyball) and Jack Hoyt (track and
field).

Replacing renowned track coach Ken Foreman is an intimidating prospect, but
Hoyt
is prepared. He trained under Foreman as a decathlete, and then spent a
decade as
an assistant coach. "I don't try to fill Ken's shoes," says Hoyt. "There'd
be about
twenty pairs of shoes to fill. He was on fire — either you got burned,
or
you cooked with him — and he motivated people by getting them fired
up. My
style is more about getting athletes to believe in their own abilities.
Still,
I'm blessed to have had him as a mentor."

Coaching styles, methods and even personnel may change, but a few constants
remain.
"We're fortunate that the new coaches have the same vision for students and
athletes
that we older ones do," says Heritage. "We believe in SPU's values and in
the
opportunities we can give."